More news – Page 298
-
Article
Austrian violinist and conductor Thomas Zehetmair commits to Northern Sinfonia
Thomas Zehetmair has signed a new contract with the Northern Sinfonia, the orchestra of The Sage Gateshead in the UK. The 48-year-old Austrian violinist and conductor, who became the orchestra's music director in 2001, will now remain in the position until at least August 2014. Under the terms of ...
-
Article
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra bassist dies in hiking accident
A bassist in the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra has died in a hiking accident. Georg Straka slipped and fell to his death while climbing Mount Fuji on a free day during the orchestra's current tour of Japan. He was 41. Born in Mödling, south of Vienna, in 1969, Straka studied ...
-
Article
Russian violist, quartet player and conductor Rudolf Barshai dies aged 86
Russian violist and conductor Rudolf Barshai has died in Switzerland. He had been struggling with health problems for the last year. Born in 1924, Barshai studied violin with Lev Zeitlin and viola with Vadim Borisovsky at the Moscow Conservatory before starting his career as a solo and ensemble player ...
-
Article
60-year-old violinist accuses Young Concert Artists of age discrimination
A violinist in New York is suing Young Concert Artists (YCA), claming that its eligibility rules for musicians are age-discriminatory, reports the New York Post. Martin Stoner, a 60-year-old former member of the New York City Ballet orchestra, wanted to enter YCA's audition competition, the winners of which receive ...
-
Article
Irish violinist Emma Waldron's performance puts her into Miss World finals
Miss Ireland Emma Waldron secured her place in tomorrow's finals of Miss World 2010 after playing a medley on her violin. The 21-year-old's performance won her the Miss World Talent 2010 title at this year's contest in Sanya, China. Waldron has previously co-led the Dublin Youth Symphony Orchestra on a ...
-
Article
Cleveland Orchestra receives $20m gift to increase access for younger audiences
The Cleveland Orchestra will put a gift of $20m towards the creation of a new Center for Future Audiences. The money has been pledged by the Maltz Family Foundation to support the orchestra's plans to increase accessibility for young people. The orchestra has set itself the goal of having the ...
-
Article
Orchestra plays to crowds in railway station to protest against Dutch centre closure
Around 150 musicians put on an impromptu performance in The Hague's central station this morning. The flashmob orchestra played the Mambo from Bernstein's West Side Story (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=US8S-FqkI1o) on the day that the Dutch parliament begins its debate over plans to close the Netherlands Broadcasting Music Centre. If the proposal ...
-
Article
Joseph Lin replaces Nick Eanet as Juilliard Quartet first violinist
The Juilliard Quartet has appointed Joseph Lin as its new first violinist. He replaces Nick Eanet, who resigned due to health issues. The 32-year-old Lin will join the quartet next year, and will also become a member of the Juilliard School faculty, starting in the autumn of 2011. Lin ...
-
Article
Greyhound sniffs out stolen bows worth £110,000
A case of antique violin bows that was stolen from bow maker Peter Oxley has been found. A greyhound called Angel discovered the collection of French and English bows while being taken for a walk in a park in Ipswich. The eleven bows, including examples by Charles Peccatte and Etienne ...
-
Article
Londoner breaks violin speed record on live TV
A violinist from London has broken the record for the fastest performance of Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight of the Bumblebee. Oliver Lewis played the piece live on BBC children's show Blue Peter in a time of 1 minute 3.35 seconds, knocking nearly a second off the previous record. A Guinness World Records ...
-
ArticleViolinist Anne Akiko Meyers acquires 1697 'Molitor' Stradivari in auction
The 'Molitor' Stradivari violin of 1697 (pictured) has been sold online by Tarisio for $3.6m, a world record price for a musical instrument sold at auction. It was bought by American violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, who currently performs on the 'Royal Spanish' Stradivari of 1730. The ...
-
Article
Auditions open for 2011 YouTube Symphony Orchestra in Sydney
YouTube has launched its second international orchestra project. Musicians have until 28 November to submit their audition videos for the chance to be part of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra performing in Sydney next March. The first YouTube Symphony Orchestra brought together more than 90 musicians from 30 countries for ...
-
Article
Violinist Sarah Chang pulls out of Detroit recital
Violinist Sarah Chang has cancelled a recital at Detroit's Orchestra Hall scheduled for tonight, citing intimidating emails she had received from supporters of striking Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) musicians.Chang had been due to perform as soloist with the orchestra in its season-opening concert. But after the players began strike action ...
-
Article
British bow maker Peter Oxley suffers major theft on train
A bow box containing eleven bows, including several examples by top-quality French makers, has been stolen from a train in southern England. Leading British bow maker Peter Oxley was travelling with the collection from London to Norwich when the theft occurred. Among the bows stolen were two nickel-mounted violin ...
-
Article
Hundreds of Dutch orchestral jobs at risk
The new Dutch government is proposing to scrap the Netherlands Broadcasting Music Centre. If the plans are passed by the Dutch parliament, the decision could bring the closure of three radio orchestras – the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, the Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic and the Metropole Orchestra. The Netherlands Radio Choir ...
-
Article
Chicago Symphony Orchestra bassist retires after 49 years
Joseph Guastafeste has retired from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra after 49 years as principal bass. Hired in 1961 by the orchestra's then music director, Fritz Reiner, the Brooklyn-born Guastafeste had previously been principal in the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. His retirement in Chicago will be marked by an onstage ceremony later ...
-
Article
Visitor numbers at Mondomusica instrument fair beat all previous years
Newly released attendance figures for this year's Cremona Mondomusica trade fair offer encouraging signs for the health of the stringed instrument industry. The three-day fair, which closed on 3 October, received a record 11,624 visitors, up 4.5 per cent on last year. The event hosted 280 exhibitors, an increase of ...
-
Article
Violist and teacher Sebastian Ruth receives $500,000 MacArthur grant
Sebastian Ruth, the founder of Community MusicWorks, an inner-city music education project in Providence, Rhode Island, has been named as one of the 23 MacArthur Fellows for 2010. The violinist and violist, who plays viola in the Providence Quartet, will receive a $500,000 grant over five years. Ruth founded ...
-
Article
Clara-Jumi Kang wins Indianapolis International Violin Competition
Clara-Jumi Kang has won the gold medal at the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis. The German–Korean violinist was awarded the top prize of $30,000 after her final-round performance of the Beethoven Concerto. Kang, 23, is a student of Nam Yun Kim at the Korean National University of the Arts, having ...
-
Article
Cellist Thomas Beckmann s Germany's 'Citizen of the Year'
Düsseldorf-born cellist Thomas Beckmann has won a new German award for outstanding citizenship. The prize, worth €20,000, was awarded by the Federation of German Newspaper Publishers in recognition of Beckmann's commitment to the homeless. The former student of Pierre Fournier was chosen by a jury of 50 newspaper editors from ...
